Dodgers tougher than in the Lucchino Era

The Dodgers' Juan Uribe is greeted by Carl Crawford after Uribe scored on a double hit by Dee Gordon in the eighth inning at Petco Park on Wednesday, April 2, 2014. The Dodgers won 5-1.
Hayne Palmour IV — UT San Diego

Despite trading several prospects in recent years, the Dodgers still have several high-upside prospects, with the scout ranking the trio of future third baseman Corey Seager, 19; outfielder Joc Pederson, 21; and lefty pitcher Julio Urias, 17, as potential standouts. While the scout rated much-praised pitching prospect Zach Lee as "overrated," he said Seager "is a really good-looking hitter" who will "grow into his body" and "could bring them just about anybody in a trade." He described Mexico's Urias, clocked at 92-95, as "fabulous" and said Pederson is "kind of a Billy Buckner kind of a guy -- he isn't a center fielder though he's better there than (Andre) Ethier. I could see him hitting .300. He hits good pitching."

The Guerrero signing doesn't reflect well on the Engle administration, but the six-year, $36 million signing in December 2012 of South Korean lefty Hyun-jin Ryu is looking like a steal and a reminder of the days when the Dodgers used to find productive players in the Far East (Hideo Nomo and Chan Ho Park).

There is another reason the Dodgers seem likely to be stick around as a playoff contender past 2014. Major league baseball is rediscovering that the Dodgers are a revenue giant. When the Dodgers fare well, the business of baseball benefits as a whole. And that includes the Padres, who sold tens of thousands of tickets to Dodgers fans for the recent season-opening series. In the NFL , in comparison, big-market teams aren't allowed to outspend opponents to anywhere near the extent that MLB permits the Yankees and Dodgers and Red Sox to do.

MLB kicked in an extra wild card berth starting last year, giving more hope to every team. There are now two wild cards for each league. That is two more than were available in the 1970s, when the Padres were stuck in a six-team NL West that included the powerhouse Dodgers and Reds.